This invention relates to a body fluid absorbent inner panel used for disposable articles such as urine absorbent pads for incontinent patient, diaper liners or panty-liners to absorb and hold body fluids discharged onto such articles.
Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 1997-276312 describes an auxiliary pad comprising a liquid-pervious topsheet, a liquid-impervious backsheet, a liquid-absorbent core disposed between these two sheets and a rectangular face fastener having a plurality of hook elements and attached to the outer surface of the backsheet. The face fastener has its corners rounded and is attached to the pad in the vicinity of its urine discharged region which is nearer to one of longitudinally opposite ends of the pad. The face fastener attached to the pad in the vicinity of its urine discharged region prevents the pad from shifting from the urination organ and thereby reliably absorbs urine discharged onto the pad.
With the pad disclosed by the above identified Disclosure, the face fastener has its corners rounded. However, even the corners of the face fastener rounded in this manner can not be free from a possibility of being turned up and eventually peeled off from the pad as the inner surface of the article, for example, a diaper cover or incontinent pants to which the pad has been attached and the face fastener rub together or the pad moves during use of such article. Once the corners of the face fastener have been peeled off from the pad, the edge of the face fastener may irritate the wearer""s skin and give the wearer uncomfortable feeling.
It is an object of this invention to propose a body fluid absorbent inner panel provided with a face fastener of male type having corners well resistant to peeling off and not apprehensive of giving the wearer uncomfortable feeling.
According to this invention, there is provided a body fluid absorbent inner panel contoured by transversely opposite side edges extending longitudinally of the panel and longitudinally opposite ends extending transversely of the inner panel, the panel comprising a liquid-pervious topsheet, a liquid-impervious backsheet, a liquid-absorbent core disposed therebetween and a pair of liquid-resistant leak-barrier sheets, wherein each of the barrier side sheets has a fixed edge joined to the topsheet along the side edge of the inner panel, a free edge provided with a longitudinally extending elastic member secured under tension thereto and biased by the elastic member to rise on an outer surface of the topsheet and fixed ends bonded to the topsheet at the ends of the inner panel. At least one male type face fastener of a substantially rectangular shape continuously extends transversely of the inner panel and is joined to a lower surface of the backsheet in a predetermined region thereof so that the face fastener is anchored on an inner surface of an outer member serving to hold the inner panel; and the fixed edges and/or the fixed ends of the respective barrier side sheets extend outward beyond the side edges of the inner panel over the lower surface of the backsheet and are bonded to the backsheet and the face fastener so as to cover transversely opposite ends of the face fastener lying on the side edges of the inner panel.
In one preferred embodiment of this invention, the face fastener has a base sheet and a plurality of hook elements rising on an outer surface of the base sheet and the hook elements are formed on the face fastener in a region thereof except the transversely opposite ends.
In another preferred embodiment of this invention, a hook elements-formed side extends at a level higher than outer surfaces of the barrier side sheets at the ends thereof.